Tag: Havana

“Once again, history won’t keep its mouth shut. Little by little, the truth comes out, and our policy in Cuba gets exposed for the sham it is.” That’s Truthdig’s editor in chief writing about Cuba for the Los Angeles Times in this column first published on July 14, 1998.

The U.S. secretary of state will attend a flag-raising ceremony at the American Embassy in Cuba on Friday and promote the effort to rebuild ties between the Caribbean island country and the United States after more than half a century of enmity.

Cuba’s former President Fidel Castro hasn’t exactly been courting the limelight in recent years, owing to his ailing health and subsequent transfer of power to his brother Raul, but he rallied and made a rare cameo appearance Monday on a Cuban talk show.

After vexing Cuban officials (and citizens, no doubt) for three years, a U.S. government-sponsored electronic billboard that featured news and information blips tailored for a Cuban audience from an American-friendly angle has been switched off in the interest of changing the diplomatic tone between the two countries.

Cuba’s National Assembly has named Raul Castro president and successor to his brother Fidel. Raul has essentially been running the country since Fidel had major surgery in 2006. Although he was expected to throw a bone to a younger generation of leaders, Raul named another septuagenarian veteran of the revolution his vice president.

Forty years after his death at the hands of CIA operatives and Bolivian troops, Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara has become a legend and an icon, as evidenced by the familiar image of his face emblazoned on the T-shirts of college students everywhere. To mark the anniversary of his assassination, the BBC interviewed Felix Rodriguez, an ex-CIA agent who received the order to have Guevara shot.

Despite widespread speculation that Cuban leader Fidel Castro had died recently, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has assured the global community that Castro is, in fact, alive and doing better. Cuban officials, meanwhile, also say Castro is recovering but haven’t said if and when he would return to office.

Though he’s been laying low for the last year after undergoing intestinal surgery, Cuban leader Fidel Castro (pictured) is still well enough to remain in charge of his country, according to Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, despite rumors that his health is rapidly deteriorating.

Cuba’s acting president, Raul Castro, hinted at boosting freedom of expression this week, inviting university students to debate without fear. The remarks signal a departure from the practices of his brother, Fidel, who handed over power after undergoing surgery in July.